Page 12 of Hellcat

"I'm not sure it's the best time. Things got a little complicated at home."

He knew it. He'd known something was wrong.

"Anything I can help with?" Remembering they were strangers, he added, "I mean, I do owe you for those plates. They're amazing."

She laughed. "Not unless you know someone open to doing a short-term rental around the area."

Ian tried to connect the dots. "Things didn't work out at your father's?"

"You could say that. I left yesterday. I looked on Airbnb and sites like that, but it's not like we're in a popular destination. The few places I could find were only free for a couple of nights at a time."

"Give me two secs, putting you on hold."

He was glad his virtual PA had shown him how to do that. Pausing the call, he lifted his head to meet Ace's gaze. The alpha female's attention was fixed on him anyway.

"Can I have the lake house for a friend?" he asked, without elaborating.

Her acute hearing had, no doubt, caught both sides of the conversation.

Ace watched him closely, before nodding once.

"Thanks." He returned to his call. "There's a place you can use in our territory for a few days if it helps. We just finished renovating it, so it's sitting empty."

The house had once been Ace's home, but when they'd bought the large modern home in town, she'd moved in there with Rye and the rest of the pack. It was old, charming, and with a lot of character. The newcomers, Ari and Theo, lived in the lake house at first, but last summer, the pride had renovated the cabins they owned in the woods surrounding the lake. Ari and Theo each claimed a cabin, leaving the house empty, so they took the opportunity to revamp it, stripping the old-fashioned carpets and wallpaper the previous owners had chosen. Now there were hardwood floors with underfloor heating and fresh paint or open bricks on the walls. The place rocked. They'd decided to use it for their occasional guests; some of the Wyverns did get along with their family, after all. Ace, Daunte, Christine, and Rye's parents occasionally visited. Same for Ava's brother. Ian had invited his cousin numerous times, although Roxanne always claimed to be busy. Ian knew better.

Mostly, the lake house stayed empty. That didn't diminish Ace's kindness, or her trust in him. Shifters were territorial. A born alpha like Ace didn't easily accept a stranger on her property.

"Oh, I couldn't..."

"No worries. The offer's there if you need it. How about you come for dinner and see the place?"

He wasn't going to insist right now. Tania needed to come and see with her own eyes that he wasn't trying anything shady. When she met the pride, and saw the house—a good mile away from his own cabin, entirely empty—she might change her mind.

After a short silence, she asked, "What time do you want me over?"

Chapter 9

She'd said yes to dinner because she needed a fucking distraction. The motel she'd stopped at the previous evening didn't accept cats, so she'd gone for a one-night rental on Airbnb instead. When she got there, the place smelled damp, and Princess peed on the floor right away to show what she thought of it. Tania ended up sleeping in her car in the driveway, only going in to take a quick shower before heading out to work.She had a change of clothes at work, thankfully.

It was an hour away from the practice, which meant that she had to get up super early, too.

What she needed right now was twelve straight hours of sleep, , on a clean bed, or her weight in caffeine. She'd found another listing that looked a little more promising for the following evening, but she had another night in her car to look forward to tonight.

Nevertheless, she wasn't about to accept Ian's offer. She wasn't that desperate. Okay, so maybe she was, but she was too proud. And too cautious. She didn't for one second believe the crap that her father spewed about shifters, but Ian was a man she didn't know; smart women didn't stay with strangers.

A smart woman wouldn't have stayed with her father, either.

She'd been considering calling her uncle and asking if their couch was free, but found herself calling Ian instead. At least, she knew where she was eating.

Rather than going all the way back to the horrible rental, she took a shower in the staff room, and changed into the clothes she'd worn when she'd come in that morning. Jeans and a red sweater. Definitely not fancy, but it was what she had on hand. Wishing she'd taken the time to grab her cosmetic bag, at least, she checked her purse, only finding a cherry-scented lip balm. That'd do.

Ian had said she was welcome to come over any time; dinner would be ready at seven. She hoped that turning up at six wasn't against protocol.

The Wyvern house was easy to spot, as he'd told her: at the edge of Lakesides, the white, modern, fenced home wouldn't have stuck out on Hollywood Hill. She lowered her window to press the intercom, but before she'd touched the button, the iron gates slid open.

She drove up to the house, parking the beetle next to a handful of cars and trucks. They were all new, top of the line, and well used, if one was to pay attention to the mud and wear on the wheels.

Between the house and the cars, it was obvious that these shifters did very well for themselves. Tania tried not to feel intimidated. She had a good job, but a ton of student debts that went with it. She'd grown up on a modest income and none of her acquaintances were wealthy. She bit her lip. Hopefully, she wouldn't feel too out of place.

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